Rayan Kouzy

Current Position:

I am a first-year PhD student under the co-supervision of Marion Rouault (MBB) and Valérian Chambon (ENS).

Project: 

Belief in one’s ability to exert control and achieve desired outcomes is a fundamental need for psychological well-being. But what mechanisms underlie the formation of such beliefs? How are these mechanisms altered by mental health symptoms like depression, where distorted self-beliefs are often observed? The goal of my PhD is to develop a comprehensive computational account of self-efficacy, disentangling the roles of perceived control and confidence in the formation of self-beliefs. Using a novel experimental paradigm and computational modeling, I will also investigate how these constructs are affected by mental health symptoms, particularly depressive disorders, in both general and clinical populations.

Background: 

I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the American University of Beirut in 2019. After graduation, I worked as a research assistant for a few years before passing the International Selection Concours at ENS - Paris in 2021. As a Normalienne, I pursued a Master’s degree in Cognitive Science and the "Diplome de l’ENS". In 2024, I completed my Master’s thesis at the MBB team, working on a project that formed the basis of my PhD work. I am now pursuing my PhD between the MBB team and ENS, with funding from the École Doctorale Cerveau, Cognition, Comportement (ED3C).